Say Something
by Lumiwolf
Summary: Two years after the Shinobi World War Hinata continues to try and move forward with her life. Her life couldn't be more better. She has the respect of her clan, fellow villagers, and ninja. Her struggles lie with being unnoticed by Naruto and his lack of an answer since her confession. Then there's Kiba who wants to show her that he's been there all along. [Novelette]
1. Unnoticed Feelings

**AN: This is an okay beginning. I just wanted to really start this and get it going, but I promise that the next ones will be better so bear with me. I am a very straight to the point writer, but I like details, so most of my chapters won't be like 8k words. Otherwise please enjoy :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

* * *

Chapter One: Unnoticed Feelings

* * *

The sun began to make its debut for the day as it lit the edges of Konoha. Its light finally made its way to the home of Hinata Hyuga as she gazed out of her open window. She hadn't slept all night; her mind wouldn't allow her to sleep. She would close her eyes and only see his face: Naruto. It was not only troubling her, but hurting her. The thought of him caused her inner turmoil and sometimes thoughts of regret. The thoughts of regret stemmed from the moment she opened her mouth and said, "I love you, I always will."

Her words echoed within her mind; they were almost ringing. Over and over again the words repeated and little bit of her, the smallest fragment of her began to leave. At the time she felt like it was the right thing to do. She felt as though Naruto needed to know her feelings and she wanted to be strong for once. Was this what strength was?

Telling the person you cared about how much you loved them, what they mean to you and your life and being ultimately ignored? It's been two years since the end of the Shinobi World War.

_Two years._

Slowly but surely, she was starting to feel like it was all for nothing. Naruto had not made so much of a hint to what was going on, or his feelings about her whether or not they'd been reciprocated. Anything, she would accept anything but this silence, this pretending that nothing happened. She just wanted to be acknowledged.

She moved to the edge of her bed and stood to her feet. Who knows? It was a new day and anything could happen. She stretched her arms and legs and began to get ready for the day ahead of her. Two years may seem like a short amount of time, but a lot of things happened within that span. Back then she was a Chuunin, fighting everyone in the Ninja World and right now she was Jounin. She had excelled in her Byakugan ability, increasing the distance of the technique and as well as her taijutsu. She had no choice but to become prepared to be the head. After the war, things had moved so quickly that she hadn't had time to think or even decide whether not it was the life she wanted to lead. But right now it didn't matter. She had responsibilities and those didn't include love interests anyway.

Hinata took a deep breath and looked at her reflection. She forced a small smile before it slowly faded away. "Get it together…" She whispered to herself before heading out of her home. At the front door, she grabbed her shoes and slipped them on. She was going to be late for her training with Kiba and Akamaru.

* * *

She had run full speed to the training site and was completely out of breath. Hinata pressed her hand against a nearby tree in order to keep herself up and catch her breath. She looked up she see Akamaru waiting patiently next to Kiba who'd been almost glaring at her. She stood straight up and cleared her throat. "Sorry. I just lost track of time…" Hinata muttered, doing her best to keep her eyes locked onto Kiba. She had learned to face people when speaking with them and over time she had gained confidence. Ever since the war, she could feel herself gaining more pride as well as receiving more respect from the other villagers. The shinobi wasn't going to allow anyone to look down on her any longer. She didn't want to be weak; she wanted to be considered strong.

Still, it didn't stop her from feeling vulnerable when Kiba gave her that look.

"You're late again." He growled tersely.

"I-I know. I just…got hung up at home and..." She stammered.

"This is unacceptable Hinata. What's going on? I thought you had everything under control? You've been improving and you seem to be able to take care of everything, but lately since you've had some downtime, since the small festival we had a week ago…you've been acting strange. You need to get it together!" He chastised. Akamaru barked in accord. She knew that, she knew all of that. She didn't know what had gotten into her.

Wait.

She did. How could she lie to herself? She knew exactly why she was acting this way. It had all been because of the celebration of the village. The Day of New Beginnings is what it's called. It's the day when everyone from all over gets together and celebrates the end of the Shinobi World War and the coming together of the countries. That day she'd seen Naruto and had been briefly reminded of where they stood.

* * *

"_Oh stop it grandma before you hurt yourself!" Naruto laughed as Tsunade glared at him. His laughter was interrupted by a knock on the head and a burst of laughter from Sakura. Sasuke sat in the background, seemingly uninterested in what was going on while Ino and Chouji joined in on the fun. Hinata smiled a bit as the two teams chortled together. It was nice to have them all together again like this for the second year in a row. All was well and everyone seemed to be moving forward. _

_Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto seemed to be catching up on old times. Things seemed to be going well for the former Team 7. Ino and Chouji were doing their usual things, with Ino being the successor of the Yamanaka clan and head of the Torture and Interrogations division and Chouji becoming the head of the Akimichi clan. Shikamaru and Temari seemed to be hitting things off pretty well considering they had been together all the time and Kiba and Shino became more actively involved with their clans as well. As for Tenten had her hands full with Guy and Lee as they continued to take on missions together. With the end of the war, it didn't mean that it was the end of all crime. There were still things that needed taking care of as far as missions went and making sure that something so big never happened again always fell on their laps. _

_But today was a celebration. Today was a day to forget all of that and to come together and be happy that they all still had each other. It didn't feel like a celebration, not to Hinata. Hinata had everything. She had the respect of her father, fellow ninja, and villagers, but saying that she had everything was saying a lot. She didn't have him. She didn't have Naruto. She glanced over at the blond as he continued to laugh and eat Ramen with everyone. It was hard seeing him this close. She could never get any closer to him than where she sat. Occasionally she could see Sakura place a hand on him in a small gesture showing how much she cared about both Sasuke and Naruto. Hinata watched as Sakura sat between the two of them, looking happy. Naruto looked over at Sakura with a smile as big as his bowl._

'_Will he ever smile at me like he smiles at her?' She thought before heaving a sigh. She tried not to let it bother her. Ino glanced over at Hinata and noticed her lack of laughter with the rest._

"_You okay? Here have some more to eat." Ino smiled as she handed Hinata a bowl. Politely, she took it and smiled at Ino before staring down at the broth. Slowly, she could feel it all sinking in. How long had it been since Naruto spoke to her? How long since that day? She exhaled and began to quietly eat her ramen._

* * *

Remembering the feeling that he left in her traveled with her for a week. How could she have forgotten? She'd gotten herself wrapped up in all the things she needed to do in order to train and learn the ways of the Hyuga clan that she somehow forgot about Naruto. She almost wished that she had continued to forget because it was interfering with her work.

"Hello? Are you even listening?" Kiba raised his voice irritably. Hinata broke away from her thoughts and smiled a little.

"Yes, I am I'm listening."

* * *

Panting, Hinata took a small drink of water before wiping the sweat from her forehead and deactivating her byakugan. Akamaru was licking away at his bowl, he was a little bruised but neither he nor Kiba made any complaints. Hinata moved to Akamaru first and began to use the mystical palm technique in order to heal his wounds a bit. Kiba watched her attentively before turning his head.

"That was pretty good." He complimented, trying to keep his eyes away from her.

"Thank you. I've been practicing a bit on my own as well." Hinata remained focused on Akamaru until he was all patched up. She stood to her feet and then looked to Kiba. "Do you want me to heal you up too?" Kiba's eyes narrowed over at her before he looked away again.

"No, I'm fine. But thanks…for Akamaru I mean." He was being so awkward; she hoped that he was okay. Brushing her sweaty bangs from her eyes, she slowly exhaled and began to make her way to the edge of the training grounds. To think that before all of this, she trained with Hiashi, her father, in Senbon Sparring for so long to bring her to this point. She remembered when she was younger, how she never thought she would even be able to do that. "Hey, um, Hinata…me and Akamaru are gonna head in the village to get some food." Kiba stumbled on his words a bit, he tried to shake it. He wasn't usually like this, but for some odd reason things had changed while he'd been spending more time with Hinata. Today, he thought he'd try something a little different instead of their usual parting ways act.

This took Hinata by surprise, but she really didn't think much of it. As a matter of fact, the Hyuga hadn't realized how hungry she was. "That sounds great. Just give me a chance to have a bath and I'll meet you there." She smiled a bit and began to hurry off.

"I'll meet you at Ichiraku!" Kiba called after her while Akamaru barked in delight. The dog wagged its tail and looked up to its partner. Kiba looked down at Akamaru and pet him excitedly. "This is great. Now maybe I'll get a chance to move this forward, right Akamaru?" Akamaru barked as if to reply and Kiba chucked to himself. He'd finally mustered up the courage to ask her and now this was his chance.

* * *

At the ramen shop, Kiba waited until Hinata showed up. While he waited, his ears picked up the sound of a familiar voice. '_Ugh, not him again…' _He thought as he glanced out of the corner of his eye. He could see an orange and black jumper quickly making its way to the ramen shop. He had to admit it was his own fault for picking the ramen shop in the first place. The spikey haired blond made his way quickly up and onto the stool with a grin, right where Kiba had planned for Hinata to sit. The canine began to show his teeth a little, gritting them as Naruto made his usual order.

"Hey Kiba! How's it going?" Naruto beamed after finally completing his order.

"Oh nothing, just—"Kiba began before a familiar smell travelled to his nose.

She was here!

He turned to see her running up to the ramen shop. "I came here as fast as I could." She explained, with her hands on her knees. When she'd finally caught her breath, she stood up to see Naruto sitting there. "Oh. Hi Naruto." A tint of flush appeared on her cheeks as Naruto spun around in his chair and beamed his smile at Hinata as well.

"Hey, Hinata how's it going? I heard you've been training lately. Maybe we should train sometime?" The blond cheesed.

"Oh uh sure. I wouldn't mind that." Hinata moved a piece of hair behind her ear as she struggled to keep eye contact with Naruto. Kiba watched the entirety of this interaction and almost couldn't believe it. It wasn't like he hadn't known all this time about Hinata's feelings, but what really baffled him was the fact that Naruto really was an idiot. Here is Hinata, a girl he could feel himself starting to like and he was making an effort to have her in his life for as long as he could. And there's Naruto, who's grinning like the village idiot unaware of the fact that she's been waiting for him. It pissed him off more than anything to see Naruto be so stupid about someone so beautiful. He honestly didn't see what she saw in him.

Hinata moved to sit next to Naruto which made Naruto a wall between Kiba and Hinata. This pissed him off even more. He growled as he ordered his ramen and Hinata went ahead and ordered as well. When all of their meals arrived, Naruto and Kiba both quickly began to feast on their meals while Hinata slowly began to eat. In between bites, Naruto spoke up, "So what have you guys been up to? Any new missions lately?"

Kiba remained silently while he ate. Right then, he was still seething at the fact that he was still there. Akamaru could tell that the situation wasn't going to get any better and that Naruto wouldn't be leaving any time soon and if he had left, they'd all be done eating and he'd miss out on another chance to talk to Hinata in private. "I've been training more and more lately," Hinata began, "As for missions, they've been very small B or C rank ones. Most of them are deliveries or to keep peace with the other countries. What about you Naruto?" Hinata looked up, clearly interested in what Naruto had to say. From Kiba's standpoint it was the most interest she'd shown in weeks.

'_This fucking guy…'_ Kiba thought before he scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"I've been working on a few things, like my rasengan. Ever since the end of the shinobi war, I've been trying to better harness my Six Paths Senjutsu. It's coming along pretty well. I can feel myself becoming even stronger. Soon enough, ole grandma will retire and I'll take up being Hokage." Naruto joked as he continued to eat his bowl of ramen.

"That's great Naruto. I'm very glad for you." Hinata replied with the most genuine smile Kiba had seen in months. He stared down at his bowl, unable to say much with her looking like that at Naruto. Akamaru nudged him with his wet nose and he smiled a bit at his companion. Hinata took a few more bites and decided that she didn't want to get too full. It was odd being near Naruto. She was so glad that she got to be near him like this and that he was actually talking to her. But somehow she felt a little guilty, but couldn't put her finger onto as to why.

"Tch, well I've been workin' on some things myself. Me and my pal Akamaru here have been workin' on our Rotating Fang. I'd say we've made a lot of progress. Right Akamaru?" Akamaru agreed with his partner with a bark and wag of his tail. Hinata leaned over the counter, past Naruto so that she could see Kiba's face. When she had, she could see Kiba and Akamaru interacting with one another and it made her smile. He always seemed the happiest with Akamaru. They had such a strong connection and she wished that she had something like that with someone. She was never really close to her sister Hanabi, since Hiashi always seemed to have her under his wing. She didn't know the feeling of having someone to go to in order to spill her feelings or tell her secrets to.

Kiba caught a glimpse of Hinata's smile which seemed to be directed towards him now. He continued to grin knowing that he had somehow taken Naruto's spotlight. Naruto didn't seem to mind at all. Overall, he seemed pleased that everyone had some things going for them and that they were improving. He was just glad to have them in his life and considered them friends. Even if he and Kiba bickered every once and a while, seeing them succeed meant everything to him.

"Well I'm all done. Thanks again as always Teuchi! It was great!" Naruto left his money on the counter and hopped out of his chair. He allowed his body to have one good stretch before linking his hands behind his head. "It's good to know that you guys are doing well. We should all do this again sometime. In the meantime I think I'm gonna head back and meet up with grandma. I guess I'll see you guys later." Naruto cheesed before getting ready to head off. Hinata stood up straight and watched as Naruto began to leave. She waved after him, almost looking dismal. Sliding off her seat, she looked over at Kiba.

"I guess I had better go as well. I promised my father that I'd be home to practice a little with Hanabi." It wasn't something that she looked forward to, but at least it was something to be proud of. Finally she felt like a big sister and she wanted to keep that up with the clan. It was unfortunate to see Naruto leave like that. She hadn't even mustered up the courage to speak with him about her feelings. The dreams that she'd had when she was trapped within the infinite tsukuyomi, she'd hoped they would become a reality when all the fighting came to an end. She clenched her fist against her chest. She couldn't lose hope or determination. If there was anything that she'd admired about Naruto, it was the fact that he never gave up when it came to something he pursued. As someone that she looked up to, she felt that she could follow his lead as well.

Kiba was a little disappointed. Of all the things, how could he forget that this was Naruto's favorite hangout spot!? Everyone knew that this was the go to place for Naruto. He supposed he got so caught up with inviting her out in the first place that something so important was overlooked. He was still pissed about it, but now was not the time to take it out onto her. It wasn't her fault that he fucked himself over. "Right, well you just remember not to be late tomorrow." Kiba growled in his usual tone as he turned back to his bowl. Hinata nodded with a small smile and couldn't help but brush off his usual character.

"Right, I'll be on time next time I promise."


	2. I Didn't Forget

**AN: Okay, so somehow I forgot how to use technology and messed up the chapters, but it should be fixed now. Also I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed and begun following the story. I really do appreciate it. One thing I would like to say is, I found it funny that there were some assumptions made about my story. It wasn't something that I hadn't thought would happen, but it was a good laugh. I don't have brackets around the characters because I don't know who I want to pair them with in the end. So, it's a toss up for me as well as the reader. I still hope you continue to read it and review. I welcome all reviews good ones and constructive ones. Please enjoy! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. /sigh**

* * *

Chapter Two: I Didn't Forget

* * *

The memories of yesterday seemed to float into his mind like it was happening right before him. Her sweet, sweet smell lingered in the air and her long dark hair was brushed away by her slender fingers. She looked so delicate and her expressions fit her actions. It made him smile to remember her that way. He rolled his face into his pillow and exhaled. The thought of her looking only at him made his heart quicken and his body buzz. She really did mean what she said, but how was he supposed to approach her? And even after all this time, he'd hoped that it wasn't too late.

But then again, he thought about how was acting yesterday. How could he be so stupid? "Dammit." The blond mumbled as he rolled over onto his back. He was so frustrated with himself. He couldn't handle being around her without making an idiot of himself. Naruto finally gained the will to roll out of bed. It was still fairly early in the morning, which meant that he would have his chance to see her running toward the training field. He hurried over to his window and although there were many buildings in Konoha, he could still see her hurrying quickly to her destination. '_Maybe she's late again…' _He thought to himself with a grin.

* * *

She was late again. Kiba wouldn't be too happy with her, but if he wasn't hard on her like he'd always been she'd be a pushover in many of the things that she participated in. When she arrived, like usual, Kiba stood glaring at her. She could understand his frustration with her, but this time she had a reasonable excuse. "Sorry, I was helping my father with a few things this morning. I forgot to mention yesterday that there was a training exercise I had to do with Hanabi last night and this morning. I'm sorry."

Kiba's features softened a bit and then his shoulders relaxed. It wasn't like he could remain angry at her for very long anyway. "It would've been nice if ya told me yesterday before you left. I've been waiting here for a while." Kiba grunted. Even though he couldn't stay angry at her for long, he was still miffed at the fact that she failed to pass along this important piece of information. She might've remembered if she wasn't going gaga over Naruto. He guessed that was water under the bridge. With a sigh, he ruffled his hair a bit trying to dig the frustration out of him and Naruto's face. "Whatever, let's just get this thing started. I think the sparring score is even. It's time to break the tie." Kiba gave her a fanged grin, which in turn made her assume her gentle fist stance as if to accept his challenge.

Kiba nodded to Akamaru as they stood side by side one another, the canine in the both of them waited for the perfect time to strike. Hinata allowed the silence to settle between the two of them, her breathing steady and her byakugan slowly activating. Her line of vision could completely see all of his chakra points, but the object of this session wasn't to completely sever him, but merely to incapacitate him for a little while. She gave a way the smallest smile and Kiba noticed.

He could imagine what was going on in that little head of hers. Sure they might have been tied, but it wasn't like he'd underestimate her ever. Hinata had really improved and if he went and did that he'd turn out looking like an ass.

"Let's go Akamaru!" Kiba shouted after what felt like an eternity. They both went down on all fours and Kiba began to show off his speed through his infamous four legged technique. Pushing as fast as his arms and legs could take him, both he and Akamaru began to twist their bodies causing them to propel at a ridiculous rate and their bodies to spin. "Fang Wolf Fang!"

Hinata's forehead creased as she anticipated Kiba's attack. Sliding her right foot back, she held her gentle fist stance and thought of all the times they sparred together and how devastating that attack was. It was fast and Kiba was able to rebound himself about to making an initial attack. If she was right, this would go well in her favor. Her body still, her arms began to move slowly at first, but then gained more and more speed. The tips of her fingers emitted small lights of chakra from her body forming a grid –like circle of defense around her. "Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms Guard!" Her body was surrounded by the orb of light and just as she had begun to do it, Kiba and Akamaru both split and tried to come at different directions. Kiba aimed for her blind spot and Akamaru tried to come from the side. Akamaru was knocked back and Kiba pushed his way through to come down with a strike from his claws.

After Akamaru was down, her body moved instinctively, remembering its long sessions with Neji before his death. With Kiba moving past her, she switched back to her gentle fist pose and charged at Kiba with his back turned.

'_Shit,' _Kiba thought as he landed on one foot and pushed himself to flip backwards and over Hinata. She had barely grazed him and he was starting feel it. _'Pretty good I'd say. But we're just getting started.' _Kiba's grin widened, showing his full set of fangs. He growled a bit and launched himself forward. Hinata shifted her eyes to the side, her body feeling heavy from her Palms Guard. She put out a bit more than she had expected and from the looks of it, Akamaru was down for the count. She focused her attention on Kiba as he began to strike. Each time he moved in to attack her she deflected him with her wrists and moved in to try and counter.

'_Faster…Faster…' _She thought as she pushed her body to the limit. She went for a high kick and two quick jabs of her palms and Kiba used all of his agility to deflect her attacks as well. He kept moving on the offensive, looking for an opening. It wasn't before long that Kiba slipped up and her eyes focused even more. Squinting her eyes slightly, she watched his body moved into an open position, where her palm could tap against him. As she hit his side, Kiba stumbled backwards and tried to regain his balance. Before he could, Hinata moved in to start up her Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms.

"Four Palm…eight palm!" She pushed between breaths, making sure that she was hitting points that wouldn't cause extensive harm. With the force of her palms, Kiba could feel her chakra rendering him useless. It was hard to get out of the battle with Akamaru down. "Sixteen Palm….Thirty-Two Palm!" She landed the finishing blow, causing Kiba's knees to buckle and for him to surrender. Hinata tried to catch her breath and moved from her gentle fist position into a standing one. She smiled down at Kiba, who looked up at her with a grin himself before he laughed.

"That was pretty good Hinata. I wasn't expecting that at all." He grimaced a bit as he held onto the spot where Hinata made her initial blow. Hinata helped him up and moved him over to a nearby tree trunk. Once she sat him down, she pulled some ointment from her pocket.

"This should help. Sorry about that I tried my best not to completely injure you." Hinata explained. "Take off your shirt and I'll help you mend your wounds as an apology." Kiba blinked a few times and was uncertain whether or not he should, but he sure as hell didn't want to make it weird. So instead of making a big deal about it, he complied. Removing his jacket and shirt, he sat there while Hinata began to apply the medicine. He noticed that she hadn't been blushing as she normally did whenever anyone spoke about Naruto. He couldn't help but have a green monster dancing at the pit of his stomach. She's sitting here with a half-naked guy and is completely unphased. Maybe it was the professionalism in her. She had tended to many people's wounds before. She was also looked at as a go-to person when it came to medical ninja. As she leaned in close, his nose got an up close and personal smell from Hinata. She smelled like sweat and another sweet fragrance. He liked. He liked it so much; he could feel himself go in a daze. If she could always be this close to him, if there was ever a chance that he could taste the sweet smell he smelled he would. Ah. He was being weird about it. He could feel it. Akamaru had sat up and stared over at Kiba and Kiba scoffed at him as if Akamaru was seeing things. He was sure his pal knew and he just wished she knew.

When she was all done, she stood up and stretched. She really should take a shower after all that. Today she enjoyed that sparring more than any other that she'd had. It was a strange but good feeling. Kiba began to put on his clothing and while he had Tenten arrived. "Hey guys! Lee told me he saw you guys sparring while he was out on a run. I was wondering if you guys wanted to come out and have some barbecue tonight. I thought it would be a good idea to take a break and get everyone together like we did at the festival."

"Sounds good to me." Kiba agreed and Hinata nodded.

* * *

The new barbecue restaurant was filled with laughter. The group of friends filled themselves with pork, cow tongue and drinks. It wasn't long until they settled into individual chatter with one another about their plans during the next few weeks and about projects meant to continue to rebuild Konoha.

"I've been helping Lady Tsunade with a few projects…and a bit of her paperwork." Sakura sighed defeatedly.

"Huh? I've been helping her too! So if I've been helping her and you've been helping her, what exactly has she been doing?" Ino exclaimed as she stood up from her chair. Verdant hues clashed with celeste ones and they both came to a consensus.

'_We've been duped.'_

Naruto, who'd been sitting across from them, began to point and laugh at the both of them. Somehow how found it hilarious that the both of them considered themselves smart, but easily got paperwork pushed onto them as Tsunade had been known for. They had been her apprentices for pete's sake. How many times had she gotten them with the same things?

"Shut up Naruto!" They both hissed as they slammed their fists onto the table causing Naruto to flinch. The rest of the boys—Kiba, Shikamaru, Lee, and Chouji—burst into laughter while Shino continued to take a few more bites of his food. Hinata sat next to the girls, Sakura, Ino, and Tenten, laughing as well as they bickered back and forth. She couldn't help but steal a few glances at Naruto as he continued to be pestered by Ino and Sakura. It was nice to have them all around like this. Naruto missed out on many get-togethers. He was always busy with his training or off on some missions. Hinata could never seem to catch up with him and this had been the first time he'd made an appearance in months. Maybe he got a little downtime?

Naruto caught Hinata's gaze from the corner of his eye. Their eyes locked for a few moments before they both looked away. Naruto could feel his cheeks flush from embarrassment. It was the first time he'd reacted like that. Maybe it was because of how she was looking at him. He could feel the guilt settling in. He really didn't deserve her. The blond felt like he didn't deserve her forgiving gaze or her adoration. He cleared his throat and took a drink.

Kiba, who'd been sitting next to Chouji, couldn't help but notice the two lock gazes even just for a few moments. His heart quickened, but in the most guts wrenching way. He stuffed his face with foot and chewed it as if something vile was in his mouth. He didn't like where this was going. As a matter of fact, Naruto was supposed to be the guy that was aloof and showing no signs that he cared, but now he was starting to understand what Naruto had been doing all this time.

Naruto always had something planned. Naruto was always waiting for the right moment. He hadn't shown how much he'd grown as a shinobi for nothing. He'd grown as an individual as well. Kiba settled back in his place a worried look on his face. Chouji turned with a big smile on his chubby face. "What's the matter with you Kiba? Need more food?" Chouji beamed as he placed more fried pork onto Kiba's plate before eating more himself. Kiba couldn't help but laugh at the big lug. That was always the cure to being down about something and he just knew that Chouji knew something was going on with him.

As the night carried on, Hinata was the first to get up from her place. "I guess it's about time that I leave now. I have some work to do in the morning." She explained. She hated to have to be the one to break up the group, but she really did have to take care of business in the morning. It was hard work gaining Hiashi's trust and she wasn't about to mess that up. There were some that agreed with her—Ino, Sakura, and Shikamaru. They all also thought it was a great time to get ready and leave. Ino had some affairs with her clan and Sakura took it upon herself to deal with Tsunade and her work. Shikamaru knew he'd have to run errands for her as well as help with different mission plans. She was definitely a handful.

The three of them collectively stood up with Hinata and said their goodbyes to Chouji, who'd had Kiba in a headlock and Shino.

Wait. Naruto was leaving too. Hinata watched as the blond stood to his feet and began to stretch. "I'm outta here too. I'm so full and so tired," was the excuse he gave as he headed towards the door. As the group made their way outside, they exchanged a few more 'goodbyes' and 'see ya laters' until they all walked their separate ways. All that was left was Hinata and Naruto. Awkwardly, Hinata stood there, unsure of what she could say in order to break the ice.

It was Naruto that ended up doing it with, "I guess we can walk together since it's in the same direction and all." He smiled over at her, which sort of put her at ease. She smiled back at him with a small nod. It made sense. They did both live that way so it should be so bad, right? Together, they silently began to walk home with both their hearts beating faster than they could get to their destination.

* * *

Meanwhile Kiba had been trapped with the last two guys. It'd been at least ten minutes or so before they also decided to call it quits. When they left him at the front of the restaurant and he could no longer see them, he ran off as fast as he could in the direction that he knew Hinata's house was in.

'_Fuck…please no. Not tonight.' _ He thought as he ran as fast as his legs would allow him to. As soon as he made it right before the path split, he stopped far enough so that he couldn't be noticed and close enough so that he could still hear them speak. With his canine abilities, unlike his fellow Shinobi, he was keen on his senses so it didn't take much for him to catch a certain scent or hear things people might not have wanted to be heard. He settled into the bushes and focused on the two at the fork. He had really_ hoped_ that it wasn't what he thought it was. But he knew that hopes meant nothing when the truth was right in front of me. Goddammit! Was sitting there listening to their conversation supposed to make him feel better? Was knowing what her answer going to be supposed to help him move on? The wild haired figured he just lived for fucking himself over.

Hinata stood in the distance, her hands at her front and her fingers linked together. They had both stopped for some reason and Naruto was staring directly at her with resolve in his eyes. He'd been feeling like crap since after the war. He'd been working on himself and for this very moment when they'd be able to speak to one another. The blond had always been watching her and her growth and he'd never forgotten her words or encouragement during their fight against Pain or even during the war. There had been many times where he felt like she could've long gotten over him and that if he did ever have the chance she would have every right to turn him down. But tonight had confirmed it for him. There was still something in her that cared even if it took her time to reply, he would wait for her.

She deserved that more than anything.

"Listen Hinata," Naruto began, "I know it's been a while. It's really been a long time. And I wanted to tell you for so long, but I wanted it to be the right time. And I gotta admit I was afraid to tell you, I was afraid that it was going to be too late. I wanted to be able to protect you like you protected me and I wanted to be considered strong enough to be at your side. I haven't met my goals, but I still feel like I have a ways to go in understanding some things. Tonight I felt like it was the perfect time…" Naruto paused and took a breath. "Hinata I'm in love with you. I can't even tell you how long it's been or when it began but I feel like I have been for a long time. You've been there for me and you've always backed me up when things seemed tough. You were the one person that believed in me and looked after me during the Chuunin exams. You mean so much to me and…" Naruto laughed to himself. "I'm just rambling now aren't I?"

Hinata had never seen him this serious with anyone aside from important battles when showing his endurance and resolve. This was real. It was really hard to believe. The moment that she had been waiting for her entire life since she'd laid eyes on him was happening and she didn't know what to say. "I-I Naruto…I mean…" She stumbled on her words for the first time in a long time. The usual blush that had been on her cheeks seemed to fade and her palms began to sweat. The dark haired really was at a loss for words and another silence settled between them. It was hard to look at him, with his endless blue eyes just staring at her as if searching for something.

Kiba sat behind the bush, semi-surprised that this was even happening. It was more that he knew it was going to happen, but to hear it come from Naruto in such a serious tone, he didn't know what to think. Hinata hadn't said anything yet and he could feel that she was just as surprised as he was. He had to admit though; Naruto had more balls than he had. Kiba had more opportunities than Naruto and somehow he found the right time and ability to vocally speak his mind to her.

But with Hinata's silence, Kiba's uneasiness lapsed a bit. For some reason, that little inkling of hope came back to him. For her to be so hesitant meant something. He listened even harder, to make sure he didn't miss a single breath.

"I can understand how you feel right now. It's been two years since the end of the war and even longer since you confessed. I know I haven't done my part and I know I've done a bad job at letting you know anything. I've been silent for so long and I know this isn't fair to you right now. I can wait for you Hinata. You deserve that because I've made you wait for so long. If that's what it takes…I can wait." Naruto clenched his fist and stared at the ground. It was all he could do to stop from shaking. He was so nervous to tell her how he felt and he was afraid she'd hit him or yell at him. She could do anything at this point and it wasn't as though he would retaliate against her. He would accept anything she threw at him.

Hinata took a deep breath and gathered her thoughts. She'd been blindsided with this information and to have to soak it all in so quickly gave her a headache. No matter how much she imagined this moment, having to experience it was a different kind of thing. She'd always believed that when he asked her, she would be with him—no questions asked. But being in the moment made her lack the urgency to immediately dive into the relationship.

Two years is a long time to wait for someone. The agony she went through as she lie awake at night just thinking about it made her question her thought process. It hurt her more than anything. It was more than any fight she had been in and more than anything her father could ever tell her. This was all because Naruto had been someone that she looked up to and aspired to be. She never expected him to treat her this way, but she tried to understand his circumstances as well.

"I think I do need some time to think it all over..." She started with a single breath. Kiba perked up a bit as he glanced through the thicket. Naruto faced her again, his eyes widening and then his brow furrowing. It was to be expected by him, but for Kiba this was a godsend. His instincts were right and Hinata had been hesitant after hearing Naruto's words. "This was very sudden and you're right that I have been in love with you and I have been waiting. But having you here say this to me right now, I don't know if I can say yes just yet. I just- I just I don't know." Hinata inhaled sharply. Her heart was beating even faster than when they were walking together. Her emotions were running high and the tension she had been feeling in his chest was about to explode. She bit her lip as to stop it from quivering.

"This moment," She continued, "This moment is something that I have always looked forward to, but you took so long and I just don't know how to handle it." She sniffed as a single tear left one of her eyes. She turned from him and began to wipe away next few before they fell. She didn't want him to see her like this. Naruto moved closer to her and reached to grab a hold of her face. With her cheeks in both of his palms, her lavender orbs filled with more surprise as tears rolled onto his fingers. He stared down at her, with hurt in his eyes.

"Don't cry. I can wait. It's okay." Naruto muttered gruffly as he moved his thumbs to wipe the moisture from her eyes. She sucked in her breath and moved her hands to his wrists and held them there for a few brief moments.

'_Naruto…' _His name echoed in her mind.

Kiba continued to watch, his blood boiling. He took steady breaths as to calm himself before he did something stupid. His fists were clenched so tight that he could feel his claws digging into his flesh. "It's okay…" He whispered to himself, his breathing shallow. Seeing Hinata cry because of that guy got under his skin. He never wanted to see her like that and especially not because of him. But he had to find out himself. He made his bed and now he had to lie in it. It was his idea to go running after her in order to find out what was going on. He thought he was prepared to be able to handle this situation, but he wasn't. It was pissing him off and it was painful to watch.

He couldn't deal with it. He couldn't watch anymore. It took everything in him to leave the area, but it was better than watching this bullshit. Kiba stood up and turned his back on the both of them. His sharp eyes shut and then reopened. Kiba didn't know why he did it or what made him do it. Maybe he was just being too curious? He knew what was going to happen, but did it just take him actually seeing for him to understand that it was real? He pinched the bridge of his nose and lowered his head.

Now what was he going to do? He had to see her tomorrow in the morning. How was he going to hold himself together? He supposed it was better than lying awake at night in the unknown.

Or going at their morning spar with different ideas floating through his mind.

Kiba shook his head, like a dog would, as if to shake further thoughts from his mind. He began to make his way home with a steady jog. It was going to be a long night tonight.

* * *

Her hands still on his wrists, Hinata finally moved Naruto's palms from her face and took a small step back. One of her hands clung to the opposite arm as if to protect herself from him. "I have to go," was all that she could manage to say. His touch had been gentle just as she'd imagined. His hands, they were rough from his training but soft against her cheeks. His azure hues felt like they were staring into her, making her feel vulnerable. The blond was looking at her with so much compassion and care that it had stunned her for a few moments. She was still sticking with her initial response. She wasn't ready yet.

"Fair enough. I'll see you later then." Naruto sounded hopeful as he pivoted his body in the direction of his home. He couldn't believe that he'd done that. And when she had begun to cry he just reacted. It had been something that he'd always wanted to do and just had. He had hoped he hadn't overstepped his boundaries. He'd hoped she'd really give it some thought and not have completely given up on him. As he walked, he could hear her turn and head home as well. He looked down at his hands and remembered the feeling of having her face in them. Looking into her eyes, the way that he had, had been the first time he'd been able to in that way.

She was warm, but she was trembling a little. "Dammit." He didn't know if that was such a good idea or not. Was the timing right? Did he really do the right thing? Maybe he could've allowed it to go on as it were… When he thought about it like that, he knew it sounded stupid, even when he relayed it in his mind. Naruto saw how she looked when he'd told her. She was happy…kinda. It was hard to say and especially without any kind of response. He could only imagine if it had been the other way around. Could he have waited as patiently as she had? Everyone is always telling him how impatient he is so there's no way. But at least she said something.

At least he had a chance.

Right?

At least he'd keep telling himself that.

* * *

**AN: So how about it? Did it make you feel any better? It probably didn't, but I hope this doesn't stop you from reading. xD See you guys next time!**


	3. What About Me?

**AN: Hey guys, I'm back and early again. This time I have a lot going on this week. I'm heading out of town the next two days or so, I've got graduate school orientation, and Sunday I'm just gonna be too busy to post this on the day it really is supposed to be up. But who doesn't like reading a fanfiction that they're following early? Not anybody that I know. Besides, I finished this really early (again I know). There's a lot going on and with this story being a Novelette, the max length is 17,500 words. You know what that means? It means that this WILL end next chapter and then I start a new story xD. Again I'm working on the ending and I honestly like both as a pair. I might just write one ending and then an alternate ending. Thank you guys so much for the reviews they have definitely been entertaining and I appreciate the follows and favorites as well. It gives me the fuel to continue writing. Thank you so so much. Enjoy!**

**Rated M for Language and in the future...other adult themes lol**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, which is unfortunate.**

* * *

Chapter Three: What about Me?

* * *

Kiba grunted with each punch he threw at the post in front of him. He'd been mindlessly going at it for a while. Layers of the wood had been chipped away with his knuckles and while they did start to bleed, the process of healing came and then the wounds reopened again. He was so pissed. The thought that had been sitting in the back of his mind was that Naruto was never supposed to say anything. It had been so long that many of them had made the assumption that he was _never _going to say anything.

At least it was something that he had hoped for. Unfortunately last night ruined all of that and today he was mainly taking his anger out on himself. He continued to punch at the post while Akamaru watched and whimpered. Akamaru could always sense when something was wrong with his companion and Kiba knew this. He paused for a moment and looked down at the dog before smiling briefly. He reached down and pat him on top of his head. "It's okay. I know I'm not myself right now…" He tugged at his brown tresses before heaving a sigh.

He hated being confuse and feeling like he had no control over anything. The way that this was going, things weren't looking too bright for the canine. Akamaru perked up and peered past Kiba, which in turn caused him to do the same. Hinata had been making her way to where they were, but stopped a few feet in front of them.

She used her sleeves to wipe her eyes, before she thought they could notice. Akamaru ran up to Hinata and nudged her side. She reached down with a gentle smile and rubbed under his chin. The dog barked and licked the palm of her hand while wagging his tail. He then ran back to Kiba's side and nudged him as well. The Hyuga was silent the entire time and for some reason lacked the ability to look at him. Kiba could tell that she'd been upset. She stood there so awkwardly and instead of her usual breathless posture from running late. She cleared her throat, but kept her distance.

"I guess it's about time we start training then. Same routine as usual, right?" Hinata steadied her breathing. She wasn't up for it today, but she had made a promise to keep at the work. Many asked her questions at the main house, but she refused to say anything. It was something that she was trying to deal with in her own way. It was hard, but she knew she had to give him an answer.

Did she really have to give him an answer? She began to backtrack on her thoughts. He took so long to give her anything at all, she wondered if she could go on without saying anything? Shaking her head externally, she brought herself back to reality and the task at hand. Right now wasn't the time to be debating with herself. When she finally centered herself with the present, Kiba had moved closer to her. The canine peered at her with his sharp eyes, but his body was more relaxed than it had been the last couple of weeks. It was as if seeing her like that made him forget everything else.

Hinata looked up at him naturally. Being close to him wasn't as unsettling as it had been with Naruto. It was when Kiba moved into her personal space that she felt her heart quicken. All the years they had been together and even with Team 8 breaking up because of Kurenai's pregnancy; Shino, Kiba, and her always remained together no matter what. Hinata and Kiba especially spent a lot of time together. They even continued to train in the mornings before running off to do their daily duties.

With all that in mind, Hinata was starting to feel that unsettling feeling again. Why was he this close? She began to take a small step back to give them some space and when she had Kiba took a step forward to close the space again. With him silently looking at her like that, she didn't know what to think or what to say. "You don't look like somebody ready for a sparring session," Kiba finally said.

Slowly, Hinata could feel herself calm down. Even if it was for a brief moment, for her heart to be so fast because he was near caused her some concern. She was sure it was just her senses rolling over from last night. She shook them off and tried to play everything off normally. "No, I'm fine. I can handle it." She felt weak in all honesty. She'd been up all night thinking about when she would face Naruto and what kind of answer she would give him. She didn't know if she cried tears of joy because he said something to her or she cried because she was so upset about it. As she fought with herself throughout the night, she realized she was focusing on the wrong things. She needed to be able to keep her mind leveled for other things instead of worrying about love. She'd told herself that in the beginning and found herself straying.

No wonder her father called her gentle.

"You're not okay. I know you're not. Don't you think that I would notice that something is off about you?" Kiba began, knowing the truth in the back of his mind. He could only imagine what she was thinking about. Hell, he didn't have to imagine. He knew exactly _who _she was thinking about. This was the time for him to listen though, to remind her that he could be there when she needed him to be. As brash and demanding as he could be at times, he knew the time and place to exhibit that kind of behavior. Now was the time to show her something different.

He settled into a spot on the ground and invited her to do the same. Hinata stood there for a moment and then went ahead and sat opposite of him. There was no point in trying to hide her feelings. She must've looked terrible. Kiba watched her carefully, now able to see all of her features. She was even paler than normal and her eyes were red and irritated from her sleeves that helped wipe her tears away earlier. Hinata's lavender hues stared at the palms of her hands as she recalled last night again. She took a deep breath and Kiba prepared himself for what she was about to say aloud.

"Last night after dinner, I walked home with Naruto. It was the first time that we'd ever done something like that together so I was excited…" She paused for a moment, reflecting on the fact that she had said it aloud and then continued, "I was excited to have a chance to spend some time alone with Naruto but then he finally said something to me. He said to me, 'I didn't forget.'" The impact of those words was severe to her heart. She'd waited for so long and yet the stress of it all made her so confused. It killed her that all she felt like she could do was cry about. She fought so hard to keep it together in front of Kiba, to remain strong but the tears fell anyway. She reached up to wipe them with her sleeve.

Hinata figured that Kiba was listening to her since he hadn't said much at all. She wasn't able to look at him to find out, because she couldn't face him with such a sad face. Kiba had been watching her the whole time and remained completely silent as she spoke. Everyone knew how she felt about Naruto and there had been times that he had even teased her about it, but he wanted to give her his full attention and he could no longer feel upset about it. It was what it was and for now this was the best that he could do in order to stomach all of it.

"I know that I should be happy, because I love Naruto. I always have…" She continued to let out her feelings while Kiba listened. "I want to be with him but somehow something is making me hesitate. I feel like it is all too surreal and that what I've always wanted and hoped for is something that I shouldn't jump into." She bawled her fists on top of her thighs and she stared at the ground. ""I don't want to be the person to run to when it's convenient. I don't want to just run into his arms because he tells me how much he cares about me…I just…" Tears filled her eyes and there was nothing she could do to stop herself from sobbing. Having said everything aloud made things clearer for her. She might've sounded crazy, but the feelings that she had about the situation made her unable to function. Over and over she played it in her mind, the scenario. It was fine thinking about it whimsically but when it happened and became real she lost it.

Even though Naruto told her what was going on and why it took so long, it was hard for her to imagine herself just jumping in. When she was younger and if it were sooner she could see herself doing it. But right now it had been so long and she had so much time to think about it that her dreams became a nightmare. All her thoughts became negative. "I feel so terrible for feeling this way…" She cried, "Because I really do love him."

Kiba let the words sink in for a few moments and took a deep breath. What he was about to say was something that he knew that he could never be able to take back. Once it was out in the open, it was there. The canine turned to her and lifted her head so that he could see her face. His brow furrowed as he looked into her eyes. They were red and puffy from constantly wiping the tears away and on top of that they were shocked. He had caught her off guard. Hinata had never expected Kiba to do something like this. That feeling came back to her again. Her chest tightened and she held her breath and her gaze with Kiba's.

"I need you to listen to me Hinata." He began to wipe the tears from her eyes. "I understand how much you love Naruto. I know you've always loved Naruto and in the beginning I wasn't always the best guy. As we've gotten older and continued to work as a team—me, you and Shino—I've really started to like you. I mean, not just _like _you but…" Kiba stumbled over his words.

'_Get it together. Gotta be a man about this.' _He sucked in his breath and then burst out with, "I'm in love with you too." Hinata began to shake her head as if in denial. She pushed him away from her and began to get up. Kiba reached for her hands and pulled her back to him into his arms and held her head against his chest.

"No…" She muttered, her voice muffled by his shoulder. He could feel his jacket becoming moist from her tears. The Hyuga stopped struggling to get away from him after a few moments and surrendered to his hold. It wasn't that she was afraid of him; it was that all this time he must've felt this way and she never noticed. Not once. She felt so selfish for spilling out her feelings about Naruto to Kiba.

"Hinata, I know this is a lot all at once. I know you're dealing with yer own shit right now and this might not be fair to you, but it's hard for me to see you like this. It's hard for me to let you just go on with Naruto without ever knowing how I felt." Kiba buried his face in her shoulder and closed his eyes for a few moments. "I've been here all this time watching you and training with you. I helped you through Neji's death and continued on the training that Neji had been doing with you. The more time we spent together, the more I started to care about you and yer feelings." He loosened his grip on her, feeling as though he were holding here there against her will. When she felt his grip loosen, Hinata rested there for a few moments before pulling back to get a better look at his face.

Just like Naruto, she could see the resolve in Kiba's eyes. She bit her lip, unsure of what to say to him. She couldn't say that she felt that way all this time, but she could think of many times that she felt like something was there whenever she was with him. He had been there and she felt so comfortable around him when he was there. Just like right then when she confided in him, she felt like she could trust Kiba. They were closer than they'd ever been since after the Chuunin exams. But still, her situation with Naruto was something that couldn't be avoided. "Kiba, I don't know if I can…I mean…"

"It's fine. I understand, but know this: I've been waitin all this time to tell you how I felt so don't think I can't wait for you. You just have to give me a chance." He muttered as he leaned in close to touch his forehead against hers. This time, Hinata didn't resist. She allowed him to rest there and closed her eyes. "Give me a chance to show you that I'm a good guy and that I'll be there for you like I always have." He finally let her go and she settled back into her own space with the distance between them still fairly small.

The tears had finally stopped and Hinata fell silent. So many things were running through her mind. Both Naruto and Kiba had feelings for her. They were both equally as shocking. It was something that she'd never expected either of them to have for her. Her ordinary life was no longer filled with waiting for answers, but instead it was filled confusion and the inability to have the answers herself.

Kiba stood to his feet. He didn't expect her to have an answer right then. Hell, he didn't expect her to have similar feelings, but he did know Hinata well enough to know that she would at least consider him. He had hoped that with telling her his feelings, she wouldn't be so quick to run to Naruto. Kiba wanted that chance and he felt like he deserved it more than that guy. He rubbed the back of his head and stuck his hand out for her to grab. She looked up at him and then took his hand. As she stood to her feet, she slipped her hand away from his. She didn't know what to say or maybe she just didn't know how to say how she felt.

Kiba looked to Hinata, noticing the worry on her visage. "It's okay. You don't gotta say anything. Just go get some rest or something. We can do this tomorrow." He assured as he leaned down to pet Akamaru who'd been sitting back watching it all. Hinata watched Kiba as he had his back turned to her. Hinata merely silently left the training ground and headed back home. Now that there was even more to think about, she knew she was going to have trouble focusing on other things.

'_First Naruto, now Kiba.'_

* * *

The first day, Kiba didn't pay any mind to it. He figured that there was a lot going on with Hinata and he could understand her not coming to the training grounds. But on the seventh day, he started to get worried. A whole week and Hinata hadn't been anywhere to be found. She wasn't in any of the restaurants and he never saw her outside of the Hyuga manor. Akamaru whimpered as they sat at the Ramen shop. He missed her too. "I know man." Kiba muttered as he reached down to pet him before turning back to his bowl. He took a small bite of his noodles before sighing.

Even Naruto was starting to get worried. It'd been a little over a week since he'd last spoken to Hinata. He'd even noticed that she hadn't been training with Kiba either. Her usual places to hangout near the edge of the village were empty and even Kurenai hadn't seen her when he'd gone to visit her. Naruto remembered that he did say he'd wait for her, however long that it took. If she needed the space, then he would have to respect that.

Kiba on the other hand, felt completely different about it. He knew what this was about. This was her running away from both of them. She was reverting back to her old ways and he just knew it. He could feel it. Being around Hinata for so many years, he could tell that if he didn't do something soon that she was going to continue to go into hiding. When he finished his meal, he stood to his feet and nodded as if agreeing with his inner self.

* * *

When he arrived at her home, he went straight to where her room was and asked that Akamaru remained outside. When he went up to the screen door, he thought of possible ways of entry, but decided on knocking first. A quiet voice called from behind the door, "Coming," and the door slid open. It was Hinata, in shorts and a t-shirt, with her hair in a bun. She began to blush, very embarrassed that he'd seen her in this attire. He couldn't help but notice all her curves and her flushed face. He bit his inner cheek as to calm down his primal instincts.

'_Not right now, not right now.' _He coached himself.

"K-Kiba." She stuttered, unable to say much else. Kiba looked her up and down before coughing a bit. He couldn't help but blush a little himself. He was surprised, but he should've known that she was going to be this way in her own room and especially during this time of the day. The sun was going down, so she was probably preparing for bed.

"H-hey, mind if I come in?" He asked, trying not to stare at her too much. She nodded and stepped out of his way to let him in. When he'd moved into her room, she went around picking things up and putting them away. Kiba settled on the floor and Hinata sat across from him, her distance further than when they'd last spoken together. "What have you been doin'? You haven't come to any of the sessions in a week?"

"I've been training here and I've been busy with a lot of things lately." Hinata answered, looking at him directly. Kiba stared at her, his eyes growing serious.

"Don't give me that shit, Hinata. Suddenly you've become busy and too busy that you can't come to our sessions that you've been coming to for the past two years? I doubt that." He scoffed, steadily becoming pissed off at her. He knew it. She was doing exactly what he'd thought.

"I'm telling you I've been busy. I don't know what else to say." She turned her head to look elsewhere.

"Tell me what I want to hear. Tell me the truth Hinata. Why have you been avoiding me? Hell, why have you been avoiding everybody?" Kiba was starting to get riled up about it. He raised his voice a little at her, becoming annoyed with the way she was brushing it all off. Hinata stood to her feet and headed over to her door. She didn't want to have to talk about this or even deal with it right then. She was handling it…sort of. She was handling it her way. The only way she knew how whether it was right or wrong.

Kiba got up just as quickly as she had and before she could open the door he grabbed one of her wrists, causing her to stumble back onto the wall. With her back pressed against it, he grabbed her other wrist and held her there. She looked away from him again, he brow furrowed and her lavender hues filling with tears. "Look at me." He growled at her. The Hyuga slowly turned her head so that she could face him, trying her best to hold back her tears.

"I don't know what you want me to say! Yes? Yes, I've been avoiding you! It's hard for me to be around you." She cried. "That I can't stop thinking about what you said to me and how much it meant to me? I don't know what you want from me!" Kiba peered into her eyes which were filled with confusion and hurt and instinctively he leaned into her, his chest pressed against hers and bestowed a kiss on her lips. For a long time they remained that way and Hinata returned it for a brief moment before pushing him away with all her strength. He stumbled onto the floor and sat there for a while astonished that he even did that in the first place.

"H-Hinata, I'm sorry." He stammered as he tried to stand to his feet. Hinata stood there staring at him, her eyes wide as a single tear slipped down her cheek. At that moment, he knew he was scum. He was at the lowest rung that he could possibly be. The canine knew exactly what he'd done just then and he'd hoped that she wouldn't hate him for it. All he could think about was the fact that he'd said he'd wait and he'd not done very much waiting on his part. How stupid of him.

"Just go…" She managed to breathe out as she slid the door open. Kiba didn't object this time and walked out with his head down. Akamaru followed behind him, with his tail between his legs. Naruto had been pacing back and forth at the end of the path where Hinata's room was. The blond looked up to see Kiba heading in the opposite direction from where her place was. When he looked further down the path, he could see Hinata slam her door shut.

Azure hues scanned between her place and to Kiba. Something wasn't right. It was all giving him really bad vibes. He could _act _stupid sometimes, but Naruto wasn't a complete airhead like most people thought him to be. If there was one thing that he understood, it was the look of rejection and Kiba definitely had it.

Is this the reason why she hadn't been around? Had she and Kiba been together all along? That couldn't be it. He racked his brain for a few more minutes before rubbing his head violently. What the hell was going on? He crossed his arms across his chest and continued to think. "No way…" He said aloud, trying to put the pieces together. Kiba and Hinata? Did Kiba like Hinata too? He watched after the dog-boy as he began to disappear on the horizon. Regardless of the situation, he knew that talking to Hinata was the only thing he could do. He had to know what was going on with her.

He hurried down the path and headed to the door to her room. He tapped on the door and waited for her response. "Go away Kiba." Hinata responded, her voice muffled by the door. Naruto frowned at this and then said,

"It's not the dog, it's me Naruto." From behind the screen he could hear her shuffle a bit and then open the door. Wiping her eyes as quickly as she could, she stepped back and let him in. He walked in a few feet and then turned to her as she closed the door.

"What brings you here?" She cleared her throat. Her voice cracked a bit from crying earlier, but she knew it was best to keep her composure.

"You've been crying. Why?" He reached for her and she moved in a gesture to reject him. He stood in the same place, keeping the distance between them as he put his hand down. Naruto continued to wait for her to reply.

"I've just been thinking is all…" She started before he cut her off.

"I saw Kiba leave here, now tell me the truth." Naruto said his voice stern.

"Between you and him, I don't know what to do. Both of you coming here like this, is stressful. I've been trying to get my thoughts together and with Kiba dropping by I've got even more on my plate. I honestly think that what happens between me and you is between us and what happens between me and Kiba is between me and Kiba. I don't want to share things about each of you with any of you. It's not fair. I never got the chance to tell him this before he left, but I know. I know I haven't been around and I know I haven't been doing the things that I normally do, but like I said I need time. I need time to think and space. Can I please have that?" Hinata looked to Naruto with pleading eyes.

He had to agree with her. She did need that space that neither of them was giving her. Of course he wanted to know what was going on between them, but he had to be an adult about it. They weren't kids anymore and things changed for all of them. It was time to put their best foot forward and handle this like it should be.

"I get it." It was disappointing, but now there was Kiba in the middle of it all. He was irritated with that fact, and Hinata could tell by the look on his face. The blond headed back to the door and stood at the exit. "Fine, I won't bother you anymore, but Hinata make sure you think about this fairly. I don't know what's going on between you two or what happened here, but be sure you're honest with your feelings. That's all I ask." And with that, Naruto left.

Hinata shut the door behind him and slid down onto the floor. She pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face in them. She knew that avoiding them wouldn't do any good and she had no clue as to why she did it. There was so much going on and even though they said they would wait, for how long could they manage? There was one thing she knew she couldn't do and that was put it off for a longer period of time. She never wanted to rush herself, but the less she had on her plate the better.

It was much easier when she had just Naruto to think about and now she even had Kiba. Naruto was someone she harbored feelings for, for a long time. Kiba was someone who'd been around her since they were children and they'd trained together and gotten to know and trust each other as team mates. There was so much about Naruto she didn't know and would love to find out. It was exciting to think about them finding out things they both liked and disliked. They could start going on missions together and fighting along with one another as a pair. Then with Kiba there was the connection she failed to make until she started to think about it. All he asked her was that she gave them a chance.

Both of them asked for a chance.

But with whom?

Who was she going to take that chance with?

She touched her lips, remembering the contact she had with Kiba. Naruto's words floated into her mind as well. She had to be fair. She couldn't be biased, because she knew that she cared about them both. Hinata sighed and leaned her head back against her door. She stared at the ceiling as if searching for the answers that she'd never find there.

* * *

**AN: So I've reread this a million times and somehow I was sort of pleased with it? Sort of? Again, reviews of all kinds are welcome and I would love to hear you guys' opinion on everything so far! So see you next time in the final chapter: The Answer.**


	4. The Answer

**AN: Hey guys it's me again. I would just like to thank you all for you comments, good or constructive. I've taken into consideration the complaints that I received about the story and y'know you're right. As the reader I take what you say very seriously and I want you guys to want to come back and read my story. But as a fictional writer, sometimes I have to stand by how I feel about the story because I'm the one writing it. This time, the comments were fair, some were almost offensive, but fair. I tried really really hard to make this work. It's shorter but I made my quota. As I've said I'm a very straightforward writer, so of course it's short! Well, I hope you guys like it and I hope to see some of you around when I write more.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

Chapter Four: The Answer

* * *

Two weeks went by and Hinata never heard from either one of the guys. At least they had kept their promise to her. She had time to focus on the main house and its duties as well as her training. She was doing most of it alone, but that was a good thing. She did miss Kiba and his critiquing on her combat skills. If there was something that she could improve on, he at least did her that favor. The people that she had chosen to continue her training with were very lenient because she was part of the main branch.

It was tiresome, but it still got done.

She was sure that they both continued to do things normally, since she was the one in control. She had the answer that they couldn't make for her. Still, her thoughts tipped like a scale from one side to the other. On one hand she had Kiba, one of her closest friends and partner. His kiss bothered her. It was probably because she had been saving it for…well Naruto. But it was something that changed everything, because she enjoyed it and thoughts of Kiba had loomed in her mind for days.

Then there was Naruto. He was the boy who had given her hope when she was a little girl. He was the boy she aspired to be like. She wanted to be strong and bold. The fox-boy had been the reason why she was where she was today. She gained strength from Naruto. She loved him so much, just as much as she loved Kiba.

One thing was for sure, someone was going to get hurt no matter what. She had to think about how she would face them and hoped that they handled everything well. For two weeks she debated on the subject and finally came to a conclusion. She had to think about who meant the most to her. What did her heart want? Who did she really love?

* * *

Finally, on the fourteenth day Hinata made her way to the training field. She had more confidence in herself and was determined to let all of her feelings be known. As she made her way deeper into the wood, she could see Kiba through the clearing with Akamaru. They looked like they were taking a break. It was nice to see his smiling face again. She knew that the last time that they spoke that they weren't exactly on bad terms but neither were they on the best of terms. She took a deep breath and waved as Akamaru barked and made his way over to her. She crouched down to pet the dog as he licked her face. A giggle left her lips as she continued to pet the dog who seemed excited to see her.

Kiba looked over at her and stood to his feet. He grinned a bit as well when he saw her. He couldn't say that he wasn't happy to see her again. She'd been away for a while and from the looks of it she didn't bear any hard feelings. He had just hoped she didn't bear any bad news as well. "Hey," He finally said. "Long time no see."

Hinata nodded and stood to her feet. She didn't want to waste any time and she didn't think that mincing words was the kind of thing that Kiba deserved. She stood tall and finally gathered all her courage to blurt out, "I can't be with you Kiba. I know it's been a long time since I've last seen Naruto and yes I have gained some feelings from being with you all this time. Those feelings are fleeting compared to how long I've held onto him. I do love you, but I love you as one of my closest friends. I can't see myself moving forward with you when all this time my heart has been waiting for Naruto. I don't know what will happen and I don't know if Naruto and I will last, but I have to try! I have to at least try because it's part of my resolve. If I gave up on him now, then what would all the waiting be for?" At some point or another, Hinata had squeezed her eyes shut. Slowly she opened them and lifted her head to see Kiba standing there with that same grin.

Kiba couldn't lie. He was a little disappointed, but he loved Hinata and because he loved her he knew it was best to let her go. He wanted to be able to give her what her heart wanted whether it be with Naruto or not. The canine walked over to her and poked at her forehead. She winced a bit but looked up at him with a smile. "If he is what you want, I can understand. I knew it was a longshot, but can you blame me for trying?" Hinata's lilac orbs widened and then closed as she felt the gentle breeze against her skin. She smiled at Kiba before exhaling.

He wasn't mad?

"You'd better go now though if you wanna catch Naruto. I heard he's heading off on another mission and he won't be back for a little while." Kiba explained. He could feel the bad side of himself hating himself for it, but the best part of him wanted Hinata to be happy. Well, at least that's what he tried to justify himself with.

Hinata gasped, surprised at this information and from the fact that it was coming from Kiba. She had been locked away in her own world so this kind of detail was something that was easily looked over. The Hyuga started backing away and then turned to get ready to sprint. Kiba watched after her as she ran towards Naruto's home.

He wished her the best.

* * *

Hinata ran to Naruto's home as fast as her legs could take her. When she arrived, he'd just been walking out of his place. He shut the door behind him and shifted the weight of his bag on his back. He looked up to see Hinata running in his direction. Or she could be running back home. Either way, he shouted with a huge smile, "Hey Hinata, how's it goin'?"

"Naruto!" She shouted while waving to him. The Hyuga headed straight for him and jumped directly into his chest. He stumbled backwards until he bumped into the door behind him. He was startled by her actions and completely thrown off guard with what she said next. "I want to be with you! All I've ever wanted was to be with you." Hinata could feel the tears welling up inside. This was a very emotional moment for her. Ever since her fight with Pain and ever since her confession there was nothing she wanted more than to be with Naruto. After all she went through with Kiba, nothing made her sway from her original feelings.

When she thought about what he said to her that night after dinner, she felt like it was meant to be. He was the one she was supposed to be with and she felt like for once being patient had its rewards. "Every day that I've spent more time in the village, I've been watching you. I watched you become stronger Hinata, I watched you become the woman you are today. I hope that doesn't sound weird." Naruto tried to chuckle his awkwardness off. Hinata laughed a bit herself and shook her head to assure him.

"I'm so glad." She whispered as he brushed his thumb against her cheek to wipe a stray tear. She rubbed her face into his palm, inhaling his scent and enjoying his strong embrace. It was just like she imagined.

Man wasn't he a lucky guy? He'd never think that Hinata would be in his arms like that. Most of his time was spent training or actually helping out Tsunade every once and a while. The entire time all he could do was think of what Hinata could be thinking. That night when he' walked her home, Naruto knew that Kiba had been there but for what reason he couldn't pin. It wasn't until he saw him leaving her home and the look on Hinata's face.

Did he really deserve Hinata after all he'd put her through? Did he deserve her even more than Kiba did who'd been with her all this time? The more he thought, the more uncertain he became until Hinata kissed his cheek. Azure orbs blinked and stared into lilac ones before the two of them started blushing. Naruto grinned to himself, evaporating all negative thoughts. If he didn't deserve her, then she wouldn't be right there with him. As he continued to stare down at her, he could feel his heart be filled with so much happiness and satisfaction.

Most of Naruto's childhood, he remained alone or caused trouble for others. As he grew older and things changed around Konoha, the people around him changed as well. He had friends, comrades, and mentors he could look to for help. But every night when Naruto finally went home after a day's work or a week's work, he would come home to darkness, to an empty place. When he felt like he was alone, he would think of all the times that Hinata had been there to pick him up and to remind him what his strength was and what strength offer to her.

Every day that he saw her, in the mornings usually, he saw her grow stronger. She was always late to practice, but she still did it every day. He questioned whether or not he deserved her and he was extremely insecure about asking her out and telling her how he felt about her. It was a long time to wait, right? But Naruto, he got so caught up in trying to be strong enough for her and in trying to be able to protect her no matter what, just like his father Minato protected Kushina. If anything were to ever happen to her, he didn't know what to do so he became consumed with taking every job that was thrown at him, no questions asked. When he felt like it was the right time, he finally mustered up the courage that night and told her.

Of course at first, she seemed uncertain and he thought that he was too late. Then there was the obstacle that one of her closest friends cared for her as well. He wondered if that would trump anything he could ever say. But here she is, the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes one right here with him. He'd always been the underdog or the last pick to do anything and for Hinata she was his first pick.

"Hinata, I want you to know that I will do everything in my power to protect you from now on. I will always be here for you whenever you need me and I will always love you for always loving me." Naruto said as he held onto her as tightly as he could without hurting her. He never wanted to let her go and he would treasure her just as she had been treasuring him all these years.

Hinata smiled and then replied, "And I will protect you too Naruto. I've been training to become stronger so that one day when I become the clan head, I can be someone you can rely on too."

Naruto shook his head. "But you're already someone I rely on." The blond smiled and leaned in to kiss her lips. Hinata, although surprised, returned it. Her mind began to float and she finally felt that one of her biggest dreams had finally been realized. Naruto could only think of the time that they were apart and she needed it to think. As much as he put on a front, he was going insane the past two weeks…

* * *

_**Eight days prior**_

_Naruto had been sitting at Ichiraku for quite a while now. Had it been twenty? Thirty minutes? He sat there and fiddled with his food. Since he'd last spoken with Hinata it had marked the sixth day. How long did he have to wait? Wait. No, he couldn't think like that. He had to be an adult in this kind of situation. He'd done his part and now she had to do hers. _

'_Oh man,' He fought with himself. 'I hope she's okay. I hope she goes out with me…I mean….' Naruto shook his head as he struggled with his thoughts. _

_Dammit._

_He was starting to freak out. He ruffled his hair in frustration and planted his face onto the counter. Usually Naruto had a big appetite and he could always eat his favorite meal, but right then he was feeling subpar and was half as enthused about any missions that Tsunade threw at him. There were feelings in the pit of his stomach that he was familiar with mixed with one that he wasn't. He was nervous, scared…and completely in love with that woman. _

_Sure, his heart did beat once upon a time for Sakura but the more time he spent with her, the more she felt more like a sister to him. She was someone that he always wished to protect as well because they spent so much time together during their genin days, but now when he thought of loving someone he thought of Hinata. He thought of the times she was there with him and looked to him. When she confessed, he had to admit he felt stupid. All this time, he thought that no one would ever like him that way. No one could love him or look at him with desire. _

_His insecurities stemmed from his childhood. Growing up, he didn't have many friends and he was alone with the exception of Iruka. When he'd finally passed the genin exams, it was a chain of events that began to bring everyone to his side. Now he was renowned as a hero and although he enjoys this tidbit of his life, every day he goes home it's as empty as he left it. Naruto just hoped that he'd done the right thing._

_He hated rejection just like the next person. _

_He could hear some shuffling behind him, but assumed that it could be anyone just passing by. When the shuffling stopped, he lifted his head and turned to see Iruka. His former teacher had made his way onto the stool and ordered himself a bowl of ramen. He turned and smiled to Naruto, familiar with the look on his face. Iruka remembered seeing Naruto many times at the ramen shop looking pitiful. Iruka ordered his drink and then settled in to his place before speaking. "I know that look. I know something is bothering you. Why don't you tell me all about it?"_

_Naruto looked from his reflection in his bowl back to Iruka. He knew he couldn't hide it from him and he could recall all of the times that he was there to give him advice and even to chastise him. The blond smiled a bit, his blue orbs lighting up and then dimming with sadness and worry. "I've got a big problem, Iruka. Bigger than anything that I've ever dealt with. I can't sleep, I can't eat…" Naruto sighed. Iruka listened. His ramen had finally arrived and he'd taken a small bite of his food. In between bites, he smiled and hummed to himself. _

"_I know exactly what the problem is. I can't believe it, but I know. You're in love." Iruka couldn't help but chuckle, not because it was funny but because it was amusing. Naruto could be such a knucklehead. He faced many challenges head on and for some reason, seeing him this vulnerable about a girl was something else. "Is it…Sakura?" He poked._

"_No way!" Naruto burst out. He was offended. That crush was gone long ago. For him to make an assumption like that was a bit ridiculous. He sighed and could feel his cheeks heat up before he could even say it, "It's Hinata…"_

"_Hinata? You mean Hinata Hyuga?" Iruka was surprised. He knew that Hinata had feelings for Naruto because of course everyone did. He didn't know anything about Naruto reciprocating those feelings. "So what about her has you down? Has she rejected you? I'm figuring you've done something…with how you are and everything."_

"_How I am? Am I really that pushy?" Naruto took a breath to think to himself. "I confessed my feelings to her after a long…long time of thinking about it. It sounds really crappy of me to do but…" _

"_But you tend to get sidetracked. You were always the kind of person who had a one track mind when it came to training, but you can't do girls like that. Girls are different from guys, they think about many things and especially if they feel like it's something they want that's part of their lives. Hinata, for example, is a girl who's wanted you to be part of her life for a long time. If you evoked something inside of her that wanted to have you in her life, there's no way that she's just going to reject you. If she didn't give you a 'no' right away, what makes you think she might reject you?" Iruka watched them all grow up to be who they were today. And if there was anything he paid attention to, it was all the friends that he'd gained and how important Naruto was to them and especially to Hinata._

"_She didn't give me an answer, not right then anyway. So…maybe you're right. Maybe she really is thinking about it and she still feels the same way. I'm just driving myself crazy." Naruto groaned and took a sip of his drink. _

"_Don't worry about it too much. If you're really worried, why don't you go see her and see what she says. If anything, the worst that could happen is that you might have to wait again and I wouldn't be too afraid after that. Women like to make you wait." Iruka laughed jokingly which in turn caused Naruto to smile and laugh to himself. The weight seemed to lift from his shoulders if only just a little bit. Talking with Iruka always made him feel better. He pulled his bowl back and tried to find the strength to eat._

"_Now that that's taken care of, the ramen is on me." Iruka then added._

_Naruto perked up even more, his azure hues glowing. He grabbed his chopsticks and slurped down his now cold ramen. Even in the state it was in, he still found it delicious, especially in the presence of his mentor. He slurped loudly and ate quickly. Iruka chuckled and began to eat as well. He had hoped that he was some sort of help to Naruto. Naruto had gone off and made his own life for himself. He was changing every day and had become even stronger than he in such a short period of time. He had always thought that Naruto could become something great and wouldn't need him anymore._

_But here Naruto was, moping in a bowl of ramen and asking for advice. It made him happier to still be a part of his life, even if it could be considered small._

* * *

_**Present Day**_

Naruto took a deep breath and remembered the advice of his mentor. He was right. He smiled to himself and then gave her a light squeeze before letting her go. "As happy as I am about this right now, I still need to head off to meet with Sakura and Sasuke. I promise I'll finish as fast as I can so that I…so that I can come back to you." Naruto said with a grin. Looking at Naruto's smile always gave Hinata strength. She parted her lips as if she were going to say something, but then simply smiled back at him.

There was a part of her that felt excited. She felt excited about the start of their lives and what it would bring. She felt excited that when he came back, he would always look at her just as she'd always wanted. Naruto placed a kiss on her forehead and reluctantly removed her from his embrace. "I'll see you soon, Hina." He turned and headed down the road, filled with the thoughts of coming back to her. There was so much he wanted to do with her and show her; he couldn't wait.

Hinata watched as Naruto made his way down the dirt path. Her heart was beating so much. Was it from running? No. It was from him. She exhaled and thought of how he'd given her a nickname. The way that things were going, she hoped that it wasn't a dream.

And if it was, she hoped the dream lasted for eternity.

* * *

**AN: I thought this story was a little cracked out, but y'know it's a start. xD There will be a bonus chapter. I didn't think it was fair to leave it off like this. Plus I gotta use this M rating lol XD So bonus chapter 5 is on it's way. As always, reviews are appreciated. Take care~**


	5. I'm So Nervous

**AN: Hey guys, me again. I finally churned this out somehow. I haven't been feeling like my usual self, but I hope this will suffice.**

**Rated M for Lemon (finally *fist pump*)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, I just like to write about it.**

* * *

Chapter Five: I'm so Nervous

* * *

"No, no not that one! _This _one!" The blond Yamanaka grinned as she pulled a dress from one of her bags, yes bags. She had come prepared to help her friend who she felt was in desperate need of help. Hinata speculated the dress and then went to the bathroom to put it on. A few moments later she came out with a red qipao-style dress. It was fairly tight up top considering the difference in their bust and stopped above the knees. It was a bit much in her opinion and it made her feel bare. The Hyuga could feel her cheeks heating up as she went to show the girls: Ino, Tenten, and Sakura

Sakura frowned. "Ino-pig you know good and well that this is unacceptable! Hinata can't go out on a date wearing this! She needs to have a little more class than that." Sakura began to dig in her own bags.

"What you say about my dress? This dress _does _have class. There's nothing wrong with being comfortable with your sexuality. Hinata's got it, she should flaunt it!" Ino retorted, looking irritated.

Sakura pulled out the next outfit which had been a short, yellow skirt with black leggings underneath as well as a white blouse. When Hinata came out with it on, Sakura was pleased but Ino…

"So are they going for a walk in the park or something? Is she an old maid? I mean…this speaks volumes Sakura since it came from your closet." Ino quipped, which caused Tenten to snicker. Hinata liked this outfit okay, but at the same time it wasn't the one. Sakura huffed and shot a glare at Ino.

"Oh I'm sorry. Compared to your outfit, was she going to sell herself off to him or…?" The pinkette shot back at the blond who stood up and flipped her hair over her shoulder. Steel blue eyes glared into bright green ones.

"You wanna say that to my fist, Forehead?" Ino leered as she rotated her neck and got into a stance.

"Not before you meet mine." Sakura retorted as she adjusted her gloves and put up her fists.

Tenten stood up and held up her hands. "Okay guys calm down. Seriously she doesn't have all night to figure out what she's going to wear. How about we just think about what she wants and what she feels comfortable with and then _collectively," _Tenten stressed the last word, "decide what she's going to wear. It's Hinata's date, not ours." Honestly, it was hard to believe that those two were best friends with the way they bickered. Although it was that that showed just how close they actually were.

Finally, Sakura sat down and Ino sat down, their attentions were now focused on Hinata who looked a bit dismal. She felt like she was never going to find the right outfit and her date with Naruto would be ruined. They'd both been so busy lately. Even after he came back, they had a few brief moments together. She had introduced him to her father formally and even all the rest of Konoha knew of their relationship. They'd had lunch in between work together but that was all. They talked and talked and had learned so much about one another.

It had been six months down the line and finally they had a night where they could be alone together and she was extremely nervous. Neither Sakura nor Ino were helping her with the arguing. She was so glad that Tenten spoke up. She was always the one to help make her feel better.

After several trials and errors, the four of them managed to come to an agreement. The outfit that she finally chose actually came from Hinata's own closet. It was something that she'd picked up a while back but never got around to wearing it. It was a sleeveless, short, lilac sundress with white roses at the hem. To cover her arms she had a lace shrug to compliment it. Ino helped with her makeup, Sakura helped with her hair and Tenten helped with accessories and shoes.

Ino gave her a subtle look, considering Hinata didn't wear much very often. Then Sakura gave her a bohemian side braid with some of her hair fitting loosely into the braid with her bangs up and revealing her forehead more. Tenten gave her a bracelet and white shoes with a low heel to go with her dress. The three of them stood back and gave her one good look and smiled at her. It was perfect and it was great to have Hinata come to them for help.

But you know what else was great? The fact that her and Naruto were going on a date was everything they could ever hope for.

"You look so good, Hinata. I'm so glad you guys are finally getting to do something together." Tenten said as she played with the tip of Hinata's braid. Ino and Sakura nodded in agreement.

"Yeah and make sure you let us know all about your date, including the juicy details." Ino grinned as she poked at the Hyuga.

"Ino, don't embarrass the girl and make her even more nervous before she leaves." Sakura sighed, rubbing her forehead.

Hinata smiled at her friends. It really meant a lot to her for them to come take time out of their day to help her out. She knew that they had things to do. Tenten had to meet up with Rock Lee later, Sakura with Sasuke, and Ino with Kiba. The surprising thing about Kiba was that he managed to get over Hinata. They continued to train with one another, even after his rejection. He treated her as he always had and supported her fully throughout their relationship. Kiba couldn't say it hadn't hurt for a while, the constant feelings he had that were never returned or whenever he saw them in the village but he got past it just as anyone else could.

That's when Ino came along. Ino helped him get through it all and eventually the two of them started going on dates and hanging out to see where it all took them. Above all else, it made Hinata happy to see them together. They both deserved someone and she hoped that it worked out. But for just tonight, she had her own worries.

She went to briefly look at herself in the mirror when there was a knock at her door. She wasn't expecting anyone. She looked over to the girls to see Sakura look out of the window. She gasped and began to talk in a hushed tone.

"It's Naruto! He's here! I thought you were going to meet him?" There was a panicked look in all four pairs of eyes. First Hinata began to fidget, Tenten began to pace, and Ino began to jump up and down in excitement. The blond ran over to Hinata and grabbed her hands.

"Listen, you'll be fine. This is fantastic! Who knew Naruto could go above and beyond?" Ino gave her a small hug. "It'll be okay. Sure, Naruto can be a dimwit, but he'll pull through for you."

"Now go open the door for him. I can't wait to see the look on his face." Tenten chimed as she pulled the other two girls to the side of the sliding door. The hunched over and kept quiet while Hinata stood in front of her door and took deep breaths to keep calm. She was a nervous wreck. She glanced over at her friends who gave her thumbs up and put on the best smile she could before opening the door.

When she did, Naruto had his back to her. It sounded like he was muttering something to himself. "It's okay. I'm sure she's still here. Man…I should've said something to her." He went on, not noticing that she was right behind him.

"Um, Naruto," She reached out for him and he jumped startled at her voice.

"Oh hey Hinata, you look…" His eyes scanned her from the bottom up. Her porcelain legs was a sight he wasn't used to. They looked so smooth. Her dress fit her figure and personality perfectly and her long, dark hair fell over her shoulders in a braid. She'd gotten dressed up all for him and she looked so beautiful. Every part of her that she'd spent time on, he knew it'd been just for him. He could feel his cheeks heat up and he coughed as if the clear the air. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you." Hinata replied bashfully and she could see the girls silently clapping at her side. "Should we get going?"

"Uh yeah, but I have this for you." He brought one of his hands from behind his back and handed her a lily. She took it into her hands and stared at it for a few moments. It was the first gift he'd ever given her and it meant so much to her. The girls next to her formed their mouths to say 'aww.'

"Thank you so much." She finally said and her smile lightened the weight in his heard. At first he was uneasy, but just seeing her like that reminded him of what Iruka told him before. Anything that made her smile like that assured him that he was doing something right. He reached into the palm of her hand and took the lily from her. He then placed the in her hair were her braid began and smiled. He hadn't known why he had, but it just felt like the right thing to do at the time. Naruto then reached for her hand again and linked their fingers together. Hinata stared at their joined hands and felt her lips curl up into a smile.

"Let's go. I picked a really good place for us to eat at. I tried to find a place with little seafood since I know you don't like it very much." Naruto explained as he reached behind her to slide her door shut. Hinata stepped down with him as they began to walk down the dirt path into town. She listened attentively as they walked hand in hand together. Both of their nervousness seemed to dissipate as they talked together.

The girls got up from their place and peeked out as they began to disappear down the hill. It was nice to see them together like that. "Isn't it nice? Love I mean?" Tenten sighed, with a whimsical look on her face. The other two agreed and looked glanced over at the clock on Hinata's nightstand. They both gasp and began to rush out of her house frantically.

"I'm gonna be late!" They both shouted frantically. Tenten was late to the party, but when she'd noticed as well, she bolted right after them. They'd spent so much time focusing on Hinata that they forgot about themselves.

* * *

Hinata and Naruto sat at the restaurant and talked for the last couple of hours of it being open. For once Naruto paid little attention to his food and mostly focused on Hinata while they casually ate and laughed together. When it was time for them to go, Hinata felt a small part of her that wished that the date wouldn't end. She had so much fun with him and it was nice that they were able to go out like that. Naruto led her all the way to the split in the path.

One direction led back home and the other led to his home.

This was the part where they would kiss and walk their separate ways right?

"I had a lot of fun today Naruto. I'm so glad that we managed to have time like this for one another." Hinata smiled a bit. "I guess this is where we part ways. Goodnight." Hinata leaned in and kissed him briefly. The Hyuga stepped back and then began to turn to head in the direction of her home, but Hinata grabbed her hand to stop her.

"I know it's late, but do you think you can stay out a little bit later? I could make you tea or something? I just want to spend a little more time with you." Naruto looked at her with his strong blue eyes. How could she say no? She worried what her father would say, but she assumed Ko, her body guard, would cover for her. It wasn't often that she did this and she hoped he assumed the best of her. Hinata didn't resist and finally decided to follow after him to his place. It would be her first time there, so she could feel her stomach twisting in knots.

All the while, they walked silently too his home. Hinata didn't know what to say and she couldn't read Naruto very well without seeing his face. Naruto on the other hand couldn't face her. The closer they got to his place, the more nervous he was starting to feel. Was this really a good idea? So many questions ran through his head, but it was too late to turn back now.

When they arrived at his place, Naruto allowed her to step inside first and he followed after, picking up his clothes from the floor. It was a little messy, but that's what gave his home character. It was like Naruto to be a bit disorganized. She found a place to sit at his small table and took off her shrug. Making herself comfortable, she tried to calm the beating of her heart as she stared at the ornaments on his table. This was where Naruto ate? Hinata lifted her gaze from the table to around the room. She saw his shelf filled with books, comic books, and his bed unmade. Naruto finally came back with a pot of tea and two cups. He was shaking a bit, extremely nervous.

"Be careful, it's hot." He chuckled nervously as he sat down across from her and glanced at her bare shoulders. He swallowed the lump in his throat; his heart was racing. It was hard not to look at her as she poured them both some tea and began to take small sips. He watched as she puckered her lips a bit to cool her drink and as she tucked some stray hair behind her ear. Her lashes fluttered over her lilac hues as she motioned to take another drink.

Damn, he was lucky.

Hinata caught him looking at her and it caused her cheeks to turn pink. "Are you okay?" She asked, avoiding eye contact.

"You can look at me y'know. You don't have to be embarrassed Hinata. It's just us. It's just you and me." Naruto's voice no longer wavered; there was some strength in it. Hinata struggled to look at him, but when she had lifted her head, he had been kneeling next to her, staring at her intently. She looked down at him, her mind going blank for a few moments.

It was just them. He was looking only at her.

He leaned in closer to her and brushed his lips against hers. "Hina, I love you so much." The blond murmured against her lips. Her breath hitched and then she closed her eyes.

"I love you too." She whispered back before his lips consumed hers. Her body began to buzz as he reached up her thighs with his hands. Naruto couldn't say that he was too experienced at this kind of thing, but he figured it must not have been that hard. Whatever came naturally would come. He parted her legs and she rested her head in the crevice of his neck as she wrapped her arms around him. He picked her up, her legs snaking their way around his hips.

Naruto took a few steps and finally lie her down on his bed. He leaned back, his eyes searching hers before he leaned down to kiss her feverishly. Hinata groaned quietly as she kissed him back with a need she was unfamiliar with. It was as if her body was moving on its own. It was a desire she'd never had before, but always imagined. For Naruto, he could hardly believe he had the balls to do something like this and with Hinata. As he kissed her, he moved to remove her panties when Hinata stopped him. "What is it? What's the matter?" Naruto panicked a bit.

Hinata's face was flushed from the passion and her lips were red from their kisses. "Can we turn off the lights? I…I just, I'm just so nervous and…I think you would like me better in the dark."

Naruto stared at her for a few moments and then finally shook her head. "There's nothing to be ashamed of Hinata." He said as he stood up near the edge of the bed. "I want to see you. I want to see more of your beautiful body, just this once." Hinata's gaze locked with his and it was something that she just couldn't deny. She scooted to the edge of the bed before standing up in front of him.

"Okay." She nodded and slipped off her dress and allowed it to fall onto the floor. Naruto inspected her body, his eyes widening.

"Woah." He muttered aloud as he stared at her for a few moments. He reached for her hips and used them to bring her pelvis to his. His words meant that he did like her this way, which made her happy. She moved her hands to his jacket, unzipped it, and removed it revealing his white t-shirt. Her hands then moved to the hem of his shirt, to pull it over his head. She looked at his skin; parts of it were raised as old scars adorned his skin. These must've come from the last war. He didn't have the healing properties as before when he had a tailed beast within him. She leaned down to kiss his chest as he unhooked her bra. He fumbled with it at first, but he got it. When he had, Hinata brought her arms to her chest as if to cover her breasts. Naruto shook his head and steadily lie her down onto the bed. Her arms remained in front of her chest as he removed his pants and underwear.

Her eyes wandered down to his pelvis and she sucked in her breath as she gazed at his appendage. It was the first time she'd laid eyes on one like this. She wasn't sure what to say, but Naruto seemed to have all the words for her. "It's fine. See? I'm here out in the open." The Hyuga nodded, taking note of that and found the courage to remove her arms. When she had, Naruto grinned and leaned forward to place kisses atop her breasts. His mouth worked its way to her nipple, his teeth squeezing it gently and his tongue rubbing against it. This repetitive gesture caused Hinata to squirm and release a soft moan. She quivered beneath him as he moved down the center of her chest to her naval. His slender fingers hooked onto her panties, slid them down her legs and allowed them to drop onto the floor. As he kissed her inner thigh, taking in her sweet scent, Hinata watched him with curious eyes. The more he continued the more excited and anxious she became.

He moved to hover over her and rub his fingers against her warmth. The more he rubbed, the more he could feel her becoming moist, which in turn caused him to stiffen. He'd become just as anxious as she had and his breathing became shallow. As he hovered over her, he began to rub his shaft against her opening. The slippery feeling that she gave him, nearly made him bite his cheek and the stiffness that she felt against her startled her.

She knew that this was about the point where things were about to escalate. She had to admit that she was afraid, but she felt as if Naruto would take care of her. He wouldn't hurt her, or at least not intentionally. This wasn't to say that she wasn't prepared to accept him. "I'm…I'm going in." Naruto finally said. Hinata merely nodded, her cheeks flushed and her eyes half lidded. She sucked in her breath as he entered her and gasped as he filled her. There was a prickly feeling she felt but then subsided as he began to move.

The more he moved, the more it started to feel okay.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked, slowly his hips to a stop. He was concerned with her facial expression which consisted of her shutting her eyes tightly and her body tensing. Hinata opened her eyes and focused on him for a few moments before resting her wrists on his shoulders and rubbing his back with her fingers. She pulled him in a bit closer, inhaling his scent and accepting his warmth.

"I'm fine, just keep going." She whispered into his ear as she rubbed the nape of his neck. Naruto complied and began to move his hips again, slowly at first before gaining speed. From his end it felt phenomenal, his body picked a rhythm at the feeling of Hinata tightening around him. He groaned into her ear, feeling the ridges of her cave against his shaft. The more Naruto moved, the more she was starting to feel good. Her body began to relax being near him which must have played a role in how good it felt.

Her nervousness melted away with her moans as he continued to thrust in her. Her mind was swimming in bliss and her body hot from their friction. The closer she brought him the deeper he went inside of her. Her legs wrapped around his waist, inviting him to take all of her. Her hips began to move on their own, keeping up with his rhythm. "Naruto…" She moaned out hoarsely as he continued to thrust. He pressed his chest against her breasts and rested on hand against her hip and his forearm at the side of her head. At this angle he had ample room to move and his pace quickened.

"Hinata…" He panted as he pushed in as far as he could. It was so hot, his body was on fire. Hearing her say his name took him over the edge.

"Naruto, I feel something…I feel something coming." She moaned out as she clung to his hot and sweaty skin, her fingers digging into him the faster he went. Her body arched into his at the feeling of his cock pushing into her sweet spot. As he did this, she could feel a tingle up her spine and her moist opening began to twitch.

Naruto could feel himself on the brink himself. He raised his body up and rolled over onto his back on the bed. With Hinata on top, he could get a better view of facial expressions as well as her large mounds. He reached up to cup each one in his hands and gave them a squeeze. Hinata gasped when he did this and could felt him push in deeper in her. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes at the change of this position and she felt him harden more.

"W-wait," She managed out as she turned bright red. She felt so vulnerable in this position and she just knew if she moved _they _would move too. Naruto grinned, knowing full well what Hinata was thinking. He moved his hips upward which caused her to bounce. She bit out a moan when he did this and began to move her own hips. She tried to calm her nerves and break out of her shell. Again, she tried to focus on Naruto who'd never taken his eyes off of her. As she moved her hips, she moved her hands to his chest hold herself up.

Her eyes wandered down to see Naruto, whose face was filled with excitement. She gave him a half smile as her upper arms pushed her breasts together and bounced in front of him. He leaned forward and nuzzled his nose into her breasts while he sat up and held her in his lap. The blond 'helped' by bouncing her in his lap and held her as tightly as he could without hurting her. Hinata's arms snaked around his neck again as she pressed his head against her chest. She moaned even louder this time, her body clinging to his. "Naruto, I can't—," Hinata gasped out as he lie her down again on her back.

He grabbed her hips and thrust as quickly and as deeply as he could. "Me too…I'm coming!" As they both moaned out, Naruto removed himself from in her and let out his white, hot substance all over Hinata's stomach. He panted, trying to catch his breath before rolling over to lie next to her. Hinata's body convulsed a few moments, her womanhood pulsating with satisfaction. She reached up lazily and wiped the sweat from her brow before rolling over to face him. She smiled shyly as he glanced at her and grinned. The Uzumaki reached over and brushed her matted bangs from her forehead to lean in and kiss it.

Her hair had unraveled during all that tossing and turning, but to him she was still just as beautiful lying there next to him. His eyes traveled down her body and stopped at her stomach. "Oh yeah, I'm so sorry!" He quickly sat up and reached for his handkerchief that had been sitting on his dresser and began to clean her off. "S-sorry," He muttered in an embarrassedly. Hinata giggled a bit at Naruto's gesture and when he was done she grabbed his face to bring him into a kiss.

When she pulled back, she whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too." He smiled.

* * *

The next morning, Hinata rolled to her side to grab a hold of the alarm clock on Naruto's nightstand. After a few moments of focusing her blurry vision, she noticed that the time was 5:45. She closed her eyes for a few moments, her body feeling heavy from exhaustion. She could feel Naruto's slow, warm breathing against her shoulder. She turned to see his face which had a smile that reflected her own. Hinata ran her fingers through his hair and rubbed his cheek with her thumb.

So it finally happened. She was with the person she'd always loved and they'd shared something so special.

Her bliss was short-lived however, because she could hear muffled sounds outside of his window. She rolled over and sat up to peer through the drapes. She could see a familiar pinkette coming up the stairs and dark-haired male at the bottom of the stairs. "Eeep!" She squealed as she rushed to get out of bed. She started to put on her undergarments when she heard the door rattle and Sakura's fist. "Naruto, get up! We're going to be late leaving!" The Kunoichi shouted from the other side of the door.

"Naruto…" Hinata began to shake Naruto gently to rouse him from his sleep. "Naruto please get up. Sakura is here." Her voice became urgent and Naruto finally sat up, dazed and confused.

"Wha?" He rubbed his eyes and slowly slid to the edge of the bed.

"Naruto, if you don't get up right now you're going to need a new door!" Sakura threatened.

Hinata whimpered, not liking that idea. Naruto looked to the door and then back to Hinata. His eyes widened as she continued to bang on the door. "U-Um, I'm coming!" He replied, which caused Hinata to panic even more.

"Are you just now getting up!?" Sakura sounded even angrier.

"Uh, sorry about that, haha." Naruto replied nervously as he grabbed his clothes and put them on. He nodded for Hinata to run and hide in the bathroom as he went for the door, but as soon as he went to unlock it, Sakura pushed him and the door out of the way.

"I swear to you, Naruto if we're late I'm gonna—," She stopped when she saw Hinata try to slip her way into the bathroom, a sheet wrapped around her body. Both Hinata and Sakura's face heated up as Hinata ran into the bathroom and shut the door. Sakura opened her mouth to say something, then closed it, then repeated the reaction before finding the words. "I'm so sorry…um….I didn't…eh…..I'll see you outside." She managed out before closing the door behind her and running down the stairs.

Naruto sighed and rubbed his forehead.

Hinata sat on the bathroom floor wanting to scream in embarrassment.

She couldn't believe it. How was she going to face everyone now?

* * *

**AN: I didn't know how to end it but for some odd reason I didn't want to end it with just wham, bam, thank you ma'am. Anyway, I've put my focus on my next story which will be coming out sometime this week before I start back school. It will be a lengthy one, considering this was a warm up for what is to come. I hope to see you all on my next stories and thank you so much for your feedback, I appreciated it all, especially spanish ones because I have a degree in it and blah blah blah anyways, lol. Hasta Luego~**


End file.
